As Türkiye laments the devastation brought by the catastrophic earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş, wrestler Rıza Kayaalp has taken the words of the iconic proverb "charity begins at home" to heart, providing tents from the Turkish Diyanet Foundation (TDV) to those affected by the disaster.
TDV volunteer national wrestler Rıza Kayaalp galvanized social media to address the dire needs of the earthquake victims in Kahramanmaraş, which has been labeled the "disaster of the century."
His heroic efforts resulted in the delivery of tents, heaters and other essential humanitarian aid to the affected region, in an arduous journey back to Ankara from the earthquake zone all by himself.
World champion Rıza Kayaalp, who also works in the organization of tents, said, "As a volunteer of TDV, I am on the field to heal the wounds of our earthquake victims. First, we delivered aid to our brothers and sisters in Hatay. In Kahramanmaraş, where I came from, some families who did not want to move away from their damaged houses demanded tents from me. I immediately provided tents from the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation. We provided the installation of tents that we brought from Ankara for the earthquake survivor families who did not want to leave their homes. We met the other needs of the families with TDV. They were very happy."
Expressing his heartfelt gratitude for the selfless efforts of all involved in the earthquake's aftermath, the distinguished national wrestler lauded: "We are indebted to the dedication of the volunteers and officials for their tireless efforts to ensure no one is left behind and that all needs are met. May the Almighty bestow His blessings upon all those who have generously contributed to the Türkiye Diyanet Foundation to ease the suffering of those affected."
National motorcyclist Bahattin Sofuoğlu also announced that he will donate the income of the helmet he put up for auction to AFAD for the citizens who were affected in the Kahramanmaraş earthquakes.
Emphasizing that he is going through a difficult time himself, he said, "We are all trying to do our best in this process. That's why I'm putting my racing helmet, which has the Ottoman monogram on it, up for auction in a signed way. The income from the auction will also be damaged in the earthquake zone. I will donate it to AFAD for our brothers and sisters who saw it. The day is the day of unity for our earthquake survivors."
The auction, which has been awarded a staggering TL 65,000 as the highest bid thus far, will continue until Tuesday, Feb. 14.
Forty-five-year-old Italian star goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon has joined hands with Merih Demiral in helping the affected people.
Merih Demiral shared on his social media account, "The best in history, Gianluigi Buffon, has donated his signed gloves. We are auctioning the legend's gloves. The income will be donated to the Dude Association to be used in the earthquake zone."
With Demiral's initiative, PSG's Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, Real Madrid's Eden Hazard, Manchester City's Erling Haaland and Belgian Kevin De Bruyne, Spurs' English Harry Kane, Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus' Leonardo Bonucci, Roma's Paulo Dybala, Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata and Antoine Griezmann's jerseys were auctioned to be used for earthquake victims.
